How To Play 8-Ball

8 Ball is played on a pool table by two players or two teams of two players each.

To begin, fifteen striped and solid colored pool balls, numbered 1-15 are placed into a triangular shaped "rack."  The number "1" ball is placed in the front corner, the "8" ball is placed in the center, one solid and one striped ball will be placed in each back corner.  The numbers do not matter.  All remaining balls fill remaining space in no particular order.

There is a small dot on the surface of the pool table.  Roll the balls, still inside the rack, to this spot centering the "1" ball on this dot.  Remove the rack.

Players decide who goes first.  This person places the white cue ball at the opposite end of the table, anywhere behind the "head".  These are marks on the upper sides of the table.  Shooter then breaks the balls.

If any ball goes into a pocket, the shooter will continue shooting.  If a striped ball goes in he shoots stripes, if a solid ball goes in his shoots solids.  If one of each is hit in, the shooter has the choice of which to play.  If no ball goes in on the break, his turn is over.

Players will continue to shoot as long as they are hitting their balls into a pocket, unless one of four things occur:

• Shooter knocks in the cue ball, this is called "scratch"
• Shooter hits the opposing player's ball first, this is called "foul"
• Shooter knocks in opposing player's ball, even as a ricochet shot, without sinking his ball
• Shooter hits the 8-Ball before hitting his ball

Once a player misses a shot, his turn is over.  Players continue until all of one player's balls are pocketed and only the 8-Ball remains.  The first player to clear the table of his balls will then shoot the 8-Ball.  This shot is different from other shots, as the shooter must call the pocket where he will sink the ball, prior to taking his shot.  Missing this pocket means the shooter loses his turn.  However, if the ball goes into any other pocket he has not called, shooter loses the game.  Also, if the 8-Ball is knocked into any pocket during the course of the game before that player's balls are cleared from the table, the game is over and the opposite player wins.